Putting away the bamboo tube, Han Li spent another hour or so in the Yin Fire Hall under the extremely enthusiastic hospitality of the Bloodflame Old Freak before the banquet concluded.
Then, led by the spirit attendant behind him, he was settled into a quiet chamber in a side hall to rest.
As soon as Han Li closed the chamber door, he flipped his hand and retrieved a stack of formation flags. With a wave, over a dozen streaks of light shot out and vanished into the void.
A shimmering five-colored light barrier abruptly appeared on the walls around the chamber.
Only then did Han Li relax slightly. He sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the chamber, closed his eyes, and began to ponder.
The fact that the Bloodflame Old Freak, a demon king at the Body Integration stage, was being so courteous to him was rather unusual, giving him an inexplicable sense of unease.
Could it be that assisting in refining puppets was so difficult that the old freak had to go to such lengths?
Han Li shook his head slightly, finding that unlikely.
Even if the other party hadn’t done these things, he wouldn’t dare to slack off. Moreover, aside from that mysterious man named Six Legs, both Mu Qing and the blue-robed beauty accompanying Yuan Yao seemed eager to win him over. Mu Qing even seemed intent on preventing him from interacting with the white-haired beauty.
It seemed that aside from breaking the Netherworld River restriction, there must be some other reason—most likely related to the Divine Devilbane Lightning he possessed.
Han Li’s thoughts churned, and within moments, he had pieced together most of the connections.
After a long while, he sighed softly and reopened his eyes.
Though he didn’t know what these abyssal demon kings were scheming, as long as he maintained the right balance, his safety shouldn’t be an immediate concern.
His eyes flickered a few times before he suddenly flicked his sleeve, sending dozens of differently colored wooden puppets flying out. They hovered in front of him, suspended in midair. With a grab, one puppet landed in his hand.
A blue glint flashed in his eyes as he began carefully inspecting the puppets.
Perhaps he couldn’t discern the intricacies of these spirit attendant puppets from a distance, but now that he was in direct contact, he could channel his spiritual sense through his fingers into the puppet without issue.
After a while, Han Li tossed the puppet into the air with a strange expression and grabbed another one.
He repeated this process over and over. After a full quarter-hour, he had inspected every puppet.
Though the puppet’s internal formation structures were too profound and complex for his current level of understanding, they didn’t seem to have any hidden mechanisms or residual marks.
Of course, he couldn’t be entirely certain. After all, the puppet techniques involved in these spirit attendants far surpassed anything he had learned in the human world.
Fortunately, the Bloodflame Old Freak had given him the complete refining method. With diligent study, he could eventually grasp this puppet technique.
By then, whether these puppets truly had any issues would become clear.
Until then, he wouldn’t use them and would keep them carefully stored to prevent any mishaps.
With that thought, Han Li brushed his storage bracelet, and a pale golden box appeared in his hand.
The box was adorned with peculiar patterns, faintly swirling with runes—clearly no ordinary object.
Han Li lifted the lid and beckoned toward the floating puppets in the air.
A stream of azure mist flew out from the box, sweeping up all the puppets and pulling them inside.
After closing the lid, he flipped his other hand, revealing several talismans of varying colors.
With a flash of spiritual light, the talismans were crisscrossed over the box, sealing it shut.
Having done all this, Han Li finally relaxed and retrieved the bamboo tube containing the spirit attendant refinement method. He channeled his spiritual sense into it, immersing himself in its profound secrets.
Soon, he was engrossed in the mysteries of this new technique.
Only when a soft knock sounded at the chamber door did Han Li abruptly awaken from his contemplation. Reluctantly, he tucked the bamboo tube into his sleeve and stood up.
Upon opening the door, he found a spirit attendant shrouded in gray mist outside.
Though the attendant couldn’t speak, it raised a hand, and a burst of bloody light erupted from its palm. The Bloodflame Old Freak’s voice leisurely emerged from within.
“Little friend, please follow this attendant to the Blood Refining Hall. We will formally discuss the puppet refinement matter.”
That was all. The voice abruptly ceased, and the bloody light dissipated.
“Lead the way,” Han Li said without hesitation.
The attendant bowed slightly before turning and gliding away, its steps utterly silent and weightless.
Had Han Li not studied the Bloodflame Old Freak’s puppet techniques the previous day, he might have found this intriguing. Now, however, he merely glanced at it impassively.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Han Li arrived at a hidden location beneath the Bloodflame Palace. Surveying his surroundings, he couldn’t help but show astonishment.
The so-called Blood Refining Hall was a massive crystal hall, roughly three to four hundred zhang wide, carved out amidst underground lava. The walls shimmered with a faint white light.
Looking through the transparent crystal walls, all around was churning crimson lava. Yet the crystal walls remained utterly unmoved, and not a trace of heat could be felt inside the hall.
But that wasn’t what shocked Han Li the most. What truly made his eyes widen was the sight of a colossal puppet, towering like a mountain, submerged in the lava beneath the crystal hall.
The puppet wore jet-black armor, its arms extending past its knees, its skin a glossy purple-red covered in bowl-sized scales.
But when Han Li looked at its head, a chill ran down his spine.
The puppet’s head bore a single white horn, with a tiger’s mouth and a lion’s nose. Most unsettlingly, it had six eerie blood-red eyes—two like a human’s, two on the sides of its cheeks, and two more protruding from the back of its skull.
Each of these eyes slowly rotated in its socket, emitting a sinister, chilling glow that sent shivers down one’s spine.
“So this is the senior’s Purple Blood Puppet. But it seems to possess sentience—has the senior already used the soul-merging technique?” After studying the massive puppet for a long while, Han Li took a deep breath and spoke.
“Hehe, it seems the little friend truly studied the puppet techniques I provided last night. Indeed, this Purple Blood Puppet has undergone soul-merging. However, the spirit infused within isn’t as weak as those in the spirit attendants. It contains a sliver of my own divided soul.” Only one blood-robed figure stood in the crystal hall. Seeing Han Li’s shock, he chuckled oddly.
“I see. I also thought that such an astonishing puppet couldn’t be controlled by an ordinary spirit. With the senior’s formidable spiritual sense, even a divided soul would pose no issue.” Han Li finally tore his gaze from the puppet and forced a wry smile.
“Having seen this puppet, the little friend now understands why I needed you to stay in the Bloodflame Palace for so long. I won’t ask you to do anything else—just infuse some Divine Devilbane Lightning into this armor. Then, based on the lightning’s changes, I’ll adjust the runic formations accordingly. During this process, you must not lose focus even for a moment, or all efforts will be wasted.” The Bloodflame Old Freak’s tone turned serious.
“When the time comes, I will follow the senior’s instructions and do my utmost!” Han Li’s heart tightened, but he agreed without hesitation.
“Excellent. Rest assured, little friend, I won’t have you work for nothing. Once this puppet is complete, aside from the spirit attendant refinement method, I’ll have something else for you.” The Bloodflame Old Freak seemed immensely pleased, laughing heartily.
With that, the blood-robed figure formed a hand seal and began chanting under his breath.
An incredible scene unfolded.
The massive puppet below suddenly moved its head. As its six blood-red eyes flashed, it mirrored the hand seal, and its body erupted with countless purple rays.
Wherever the purple light passed, the lava recoiled, and in the blink of an eye, a massive purple barrier formed below.
At the same time, a white light flashed beneath Han Li and the blood-robed figure, and the solid crystal floor beneath them vanished like an illusion. Their bodies immediately began to fall.
Though startled, Han Li flapped the wings on his back, slowing his descent.
Meanwhile, the Bloodflame Old Freak, enveloped in bloody light, remained as steady as a mountain.
Han Li swiftly descended until he was level with the puppet’s head. As he passed one of its blood-red eyes, the pupil suddenly rotated, fixing its crimson gaze on him.
A chill ran down Han Li’s spine, and his body froze as if gripped by an invisible force.
For a brief moment, his face paled, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
Fortunately, the monstrous eye, several zhang in size, flickered strangely before returning to normal, shifting its gaze elsewhere.
Han Li exhaled sharply and wiped the sweat from his brow. Now he understood why the Bloodflame Old Freak valued this puppet so highly.
The Purple Blood Puppet’s power likely surpassed even the Bloodflame Old Freak himself—otherwise, a mere glance wouldn’t have exerted such pressure.
For a moment, he had nearly activated his Annihilation Eye to resist that terrifying gaze.
Thankfully, bolstered by the Great Development Art, he managed to endure it. This puppet wasn’t just enormous—it seemed to possess some profound ability related to spiritual sense.
Though inwardly shaken, Han Li dared not linger near the puppet’s head and quickly descended further.
Soon, he reached the puppet’s chest, where the blood-robed figure was already waiting.
Han Li swept his gaze over the black armor and frowned slightly, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.
Up close, the armor’s surface was smooth as a mirror, with no trace of any runic formations.
“Could it be that the old freak intends to…?” Han Li wondered silently.
“Fellow Daoist Han, since your Divine Devilbane Lightning is required, I’ll briefly explain the runic formations to be inscribed on the armor. Once we begin inscribing, you’ll simultaneously infuse the lightning. After completion, I’ll seal both the formations and the lightning together. If anything seems amiss, I’ll inform you promptly.” The Bloodflame Old Freak’s words took Han Li by surprise.
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